There are currently 3,415 rooms in the hotel industry making use of start-up energy management company SENS Innovation Group’s Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Malta-based telecommunications firm GO plc announced. GO finalised the acquisition of 76 per cent of the company earlier this year.
Through its IoT technology, SENS allows for better understanding of energy use patterns to help achieve more efficiencies and helps commercial and hospitality establishments significantly reduce their energy consumption.
This technology, which was also acquired by businesses abroad that want to save on energy wastage, is being applied by GO and a good number of its clients, who are already benefiting from substantial cuts in energy wastage, and consequently, significant cost savings.
GO has placed environmental sustainability as one of its key strategic pillars supporting its purpose of “driving a digital Malta where no one is left behind”. In 2020, GO established GO Green, an initiative that gathers all of the company’s efforts “to reduce emissions, to become more environmentally friendly, and to operate more sustainably”.
One of the most important initiatives being undertaken by GO is an ongoing exercise to extend the life span of customers’ equipment, which is resulting in financial savings, as well as saving on CO2 emissions. The firm estimates that in the first half of 2022, it has already saved over 200 tonnes of CO2 through this initiative.
20th September marked the start of European Sustainable Development Week, and the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise launched the Malta Sustainable Action Days 2022, in which GO is participating through various initiatives held to be part of the change for a better planet.
“Environmental sustainability needs to be at the top of everyone’s agenda, from large corporations to the smaller business, to the individual household. Small actions by the many will greatly contribute toward reversing the effect of climate change over the course of time,” GO Group Internal Auditor Ingrid Azzopardi said.
“One of our main environmental initiatives is the recently announced €20 million investment in our new headquarters in Żejtun which will be covered with photovoltaic panels in order to generate as much solar energy as possible,” she added.
Ms Azzopardi explained how a number of initiatives undertaken by GO throughout the current year show its “determined contribution” towards addressing some of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals including No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Wellbeing, as well as Quality Education.
GO’s digitisation exercise has also significantly contributed to a reduction in the use of paper, with over a tonne saved annually.
Working to make a company sustainable remains an ongoing exercise, and heightened awareness on the importance of sustainability is critical to instigate the desired action for change.
As a result, a major training initiative organised by GO’s Learning Academy as part of its GO Green initiative was attended by 87 per cent of its employees, including GO’s EXCOM members and the company’s Board of Directors. This training led to a set of important commitments that GO will be carrying out through several working teams with the ultimate aim to reduce emissions across all the of the organisation’s operations.
Throughout 2022, GO also organised a number of activities to raise awareness on climate change and sustainability, including a “vegan day” to mark Earth Day on 22nd April, where employees were treated to plant-based vegan burgers and vegan treats. GO’s voluntary organisation, GO Cares, also organised an underwater clean-up on the last Saturday of May with one large skip of rubbish picked up.
More recently, GO employees commemorated International Charity Day by organising a donation drive to collect used clothes as well as food for the Foodbank Lifeline Foundation and animal requirements. Such drives encourage employees to be “active participants in the circular economy and to leave a more positive impact on society in general”.
“GO is also very active with respect to the Sustainable Development Goal related to Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, where significant investment has been made in the fibre roll-out across the country, as well as in the development of the 5G network. We cannot change what we cannot measure, so in order to address the Sustainable Development Goal on Climate Action, we are rigorously measuring our emissions. This will help us to continue shaping our sustainability strategy based on initiatives to reduce, replace, and transform,” Ms Azzopardi added.
“As an organisation that is constantly striving to be better every day, GO aspires to be a market leader through more sustainable operations. This is why we have been putting our environmental commitment very high up on our agenda. Being one of the founding members of Malta ESG Alliance means, that together with like-minded companies, we can collectively work towards action for greater impact,” she concluded.
